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I hate to be the one to break this to you, but this is how an extraordinarily large amount of high-level individuals think - they just won't admit it. If you'r

I hate to be the one to break this to you, but this is how an extraordinarily large amount of high-level individuals think - they just won't admit it. If you're able to automate a large portion of your workforce, why wouldn't you? You'll be rewarded for it in every aspect. You'll be praised by the Board of Directors for cutting costs and improving productivity (since algorithms and robots don't have to sleep, never get tired, never call in sick, never get drunk and shit in their husband's bed, etc.). You'll be praised by Wall Street as a "visionary, technologically-minded thinker / leader". There's zero downside for you. There's enormous downside for parts of society. The difference is, I'm willing to admit that when I do this, it's directly to my benefit.

rchaud 4y ago
Thanks for 'breaking it to me', I had no idea /s Have you considered that part of the fabric of civilized society is...being civil with the people that you interact with, and require cooperation from? You can hold any opinion of them that you like, but the difference between a competent manager and an incompetent one is how they can translate their personal disdain for their direct reports, in a way that doesn't treat them like cogs, and improves their performance on the things they're responsible for.
- cbozeman 4y ago
  This is just patently untrue and plays out in every office across the entire world every day. What makes someone a competent manager is whether or not they complete their assigned tasks and projects that come down from above. You don't like people who are direct and brutal in their feedback. Got it. Hell, you can turn back the clock to 2004-2008 World of Warcraft and see this for yourself. The best guilds in the world had leadership that was brutally forthright - bordering on downright cruel - to their membership, but they still managed to execute, because when everyone's goals are aligned, you'll be surprised the shit people are willing to entertain. And not only were these people not being paid, they had to pay to play the damn game! And yes, I know the analogy doesn't map perfectly onto work for several reasons, but the crux of the idea is there: a harsh taskmaster can move mountains with a little bit of fear (I'll replace you with a shell script if your performance doesn't improve) and a lot of honesty. In the future, you could save us both a lot of time and effort by just saying, "I don't like this management style." But I've seen it in video games, I've seen it in startups, I've seen it in Fortune 500 companies, and I've seen it in the military. Properly implemented, it works wonders.

rchaud 4y ago

Thanks for 'breaking it to me', I had no idea /s Have you considered that part of the fabric of civilized society is...being civil with the people that you interact with, and require cooperation from? You can hold any opinion of them that you like, but the difference between a competent manager and an incompetent one is how they can translate their personal disdain for their direct reports, in a way that doesn't treat them like cogs, and improves their performance on the things they're responsible for.

cbozeman 4y ago
This is just patently untrue and plays out in every office across the entire world every day. What makes someone a competent manager is whether or not they complete their assigned tasks and projects that come down from above. You don't like people who are direct and brutal in their feedback. Got it. Hell, you can turn back the clock to 2004-2008 World of Warcraft and see this for yourself. The best guilds in the world had leadership that was brutally forthright - bordering on downright cruel - to their membership, but they still managed to execute, because when everyone's goals are aligned, you'll be surprised the shit people are willing to entertain. And not only were these people not being paid, they had to pay to play the damn game! And yes, I know the analogy doesn't map perfectly onto work for several reasons, but the crux of the idea is there: a harsh taskmaster can move mountains with a little bit of fear (I'll replace you with a shell script if your performance doesn't improve) and a lot of honesty. In the future, you could save us both a lot of time and effort by just saying, "I don't like this management style." But I've seen it in video games, I've seen it in startups, I've seen it in Fortune 500 companies, and I've seen it in the military. Properly implemented, it works wonders.